Alfstanna Amell
Alfstanna Amell is the Warden-Commander of Ferelden and an adviser in the Mage Rebellion. History Alfstanna was born the first child to Revka and Damian Amell, a noble family in Kirkwall. She was the golden child, the heir, the epitome of etiquette and manners and the favorite of all the other noble families, including her own. She loved to show off all of the badges her mentors would give her for completing a lesson, and all the dresses her personal tailors made for her (she enjoyed twirling). Her brother Lancel was born four years after her, but she'd already established her brilliance, so she retained the spotlight. Her siblings came one year after another up until she was seven and expressed magical ability. On a brutally hot summer day, she was out on a walk with one of her nannies when one of her shoes fell off. When she put her foot down to retrieve it, the ground was so hot it burned her, causing a knee-jerk reaction that led to an ice crystal piercing her nanny's heart. The templars arrived within the hour to wrench Revka's golden child away from her, while Revka wept in the streets behind them. Alfstanna spent several months in the dungeons for what she did, and when it finally came time for her to get out and join the other mages in the Circle, she was moving to the Ferelden Circle - her brother Lancel was a mage, too, and siblings being in the same Circle was avoided. All of Alfstanna's siblings turned out to be mages, as it were. One by one they were dragged away from a broken-hearted Revka. When Alfstanna was sixteen, she received a letter from her father saying that her mother had killed herself in her grief, jumping from the window of their mansion. When the Blight began and Warden-Commander Duncan showed up asking for mages to join the king's army (or the Wardens), Alfstanna readily volunteered. She had been three years a post-Harrowing mage, and her adventurous spirit made the Circle quite drab and confining for her. Duncan saw this spirit in her and agreed to induct her into the Wardens. She was part of the entourage that led the final charge against the archdemon, fighting alongside Miryam Mottiere, Lys Terrelle, Alistair Theirin, King Cailan, and Fiona Aeducan. Post-Blight, Alfstanna is named Warden-Commander of Ferelden for her efforts. Involvement As the Warden-Commander and the Arl of Amaranthine, Alfstanna has command of a reasonably-sized army, including several vassals and the economic advantages of her husband, Chauncey de Santis. For this reason, as well as her experience in battle and commanding, her knowledge of history, her reputable dislike of the Circles, and her old friendship with Miryam, she receives an invite to the feast Miryam holds to recruit people for the rebellion. Alfstanna is one of the few that doesn't need convinced. She has a seat on Miryam's war council, being quite a powerful asset. Personality Alfstanna is, in essence, Ferelden. Militant, stubborn, and harboring an unholy love for dogs, she is everything that Ferelden's people are renowned for. She's outspoken to a fault and likely too opinionated for her own good. Diplomacy and tact are foreign concepts to her; she has no care for politics and niceties and daggers hidden behind smiles. She spent a great deal of her time in the Circle reading, so she's incredibly knowledgeable of history and the occult, something that comes in handy for the rebellion - but, as a result, she can be a know-it-all. Surprisingly, she's rather excitable, prone to grinning and beaming like a child whenever something happens or the discussion goes into something she enjoys. She is quite prideful and will raise her nose at those she deems lesser than her. Quotes * "How many Exalted Marches has the Chantry declared on Tevinter? More than that, they've withheld against the bloody qunari! They have stood against the might of Thedas time and time again, protecting their liberties with a ferocity you won't find anywhere else. We want them as our allies." * "He's the king. His army has no choice but to follow him." Trivia * She owns a mabari named Meeb that she is never seen without. The dog is getting old in age and is little more than an obese, snoring slab of meat, but Alfstanna loves him and will defend him to the death. * Her favorite animal is a griffon. * Her sister, Armani, is a Nevarran Crusader. Category:Characters